We have a licence but no one in-country. Where do we start?

With the country head and a map of the first five to ten seats, run as one programme so the first hire can help choose the rest.

We are a Gulf investor building in the UK. Do you work that way round?

Yes. The same map works in both directions.

Sectors | Gulf entry leadership

Gulf market entry executive search: first leaders, named before the licence is.

Foreign developers, operators and AI platforms arrive with a licence and nobody local. I find the first leaders, and leaders abroad for Gulf capital.

Seats like these open quietly. Open to a move? Talk to me in confidence.

Brief me on a search

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A benchmark of your open seats carries no fee. A full compensation study is a fixed-fee piece, credited against a search.

Last reviewed 31 October 2026, the date of the market facts on this page.

Looking at your next move? See this page for leaders

Hiring for one of these seats? See this page for clients

The seats

Country head, general manager and managing director for a new Gulf entity
C-suite seats for a Saudi regional headquarters
First delivery, operations and commercial leads
Saudi and Emirati national leadership shortlists
Leaders abroad for Gulf-backed developers and platforms (UK, Europe, US)

What is driving hiring, and the timelines

The Saudi headquarters rule creates C-suite seats. A regional headquarters must have at least 15 staff, including 3 C-suite executives, within a year of its licence (Vistra). The Minister of Investment put licences at 675 in 2025, with 44, 34 and 31 issued in the first three quarters of 2025 (MISA, via Argaam and Sharikat Mubasher).
Localisation reaches engineering. Saudi Arabia requires 30% Saudisation across 46 engineering professions for firms with 5 or more engineers (HRSD, via Envoy Global). UAE firms of 50 or more staff add 2% Emirati skilled staff a year (MoHRE, via WAM).
The UAE is licensing at pace. DIFC recorded 2,525 new registrations in 2025 and 1,677 AI and fintech firms; ADGM issued 3,769 new licences (DIFC; ADGM).

Why a one-person firm can do this

I have moved director and C-suite leaders into the Gulf and work all three markets every week. The best first hire has often opened a market before.

Questions clients ask

We have a licence but no one in-country. Where do we start?: With the country head and a map of the first five to ten seats, run as one programme so the first hire can help choose the rest.
We are a Gulf investor building in the UK. Do you work that way round?: Yes. The same map works in both directions.

Retained search. A fee on signing, a shortlist date in writing, the balance on the start date, a six-month replacement. The terms

Brief me on a gulf entry leadership seat

The more you tell me, the more useful my first reply. I'll come back within one working day.

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Please keep this search confidential

Seats I search for in this family

Country head, general manager and managing director for a new Gulf entity
C-suite seats for a Saudi regional headquarters
First delivery, operations and commercial leads
Saudi and Emirati national leadership shortlists
Leaders abroad for Gulf-backed developers and platforms (UK, Europe, US)

Most of these searches are confidential and never advertised. Published ones are on the careers page.

What they pay

Seat	Published pay	Source
Country manager, Dubai (all sectors)	Average AED 336,600 a year, base-heavy; technology and infrastructure seats run well above	Published figure: PayScale

Published figures from the sources named, not my own data. Base pay unless stated; Gulf packages usually add housing, transport and schooling. For your own seat, ask for a confidential market check.

How a confidential conversation works

A call, not a form. What you run today, what you would move for, and what you would not.
Nothing shared without your say-so. Your profile goes to a client only with your permission for that one role.
The real package, in writing, before you interview: base, housing, schooling, bonus and relocation.
The move handled: notice, visas and family questions, into or out of the Gulf.
You never pay a fee.

Sources

Opening in the Gulf, or building out of it?

Tell me the seat and the date. Not ready to brief? Ask for a pay benchmark for your open seats.

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